German Colony Center Apartment

Our room neighbors kept us awake all night. They were loud, a dog ran around, and they smoked inside, so the whole room smelled like an ashtray. For a private room we’d saved up for on a trip lasting several months, this place was absolutely not worth the money. I’m usually easygoing about budget accommodation and almost never leave bad reviews, but you’d be better off spending your money somewhere else. The bathroom was shared, smelly, and unclean. I somehow felt cleaner before showering, though as a backpacker on a budget I could have put up with that. When we arrived, we were locked outside because we needed a code to get in and had no way to call. A kind woman let us in, but nobody was there, and we waited about an hour and a half for someone to arrive. The guy who showed up was very sweet and friendly. We had booked two nights. Honestly, sleeping on the street would have been nicer and cheaper.

The location is the bright spot, close to the Baha'i Temple and a lovely area with plenty of restaurants. The hotel itself wasn’t very clean, and the showers were mouldy. Some rooms have private bathrooms, while others use shared ones. Guests can also use the shared kitchen, but the main kitchen was broken and had no glasses, bowls, pans, or spoons. When checkout time came at 11, nobody was at reception. If you’re waiting for change they owe you and are in a hurry, be prepared to come back later.

I paid for a single room beside the toilet, shower, and kitchen, and those shared areas were really dirty. The smell was unbearable at night. They’d said reception was open 24 hours, but the night shift worker was rude and told me his shift was already over. I felt helpless until another guest kindly let me sleep in their room. It still wasn’t great, but at least I got through the night and left as soon as I could in the morning. The pictures they post are far from the truth. I learned my lesson: for a little more money, I’d stay somewhere else.

It’s decent value if you only need somewhere to sleep and don’t expect much. The staff were okay, but the room was dusty and the air conditioning wasn’t very good. The acoustics were bad, and the entire floor had only two toilet rooms.